A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,

may give you the Spiritof wisdom and revelation,

so that you may know Him better.

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I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened

in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,

the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people,

and His incomparably great power for us who believe.

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– Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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“Believing means

surrendering ourselves to God

and entrusting our destiny to Him.

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Believing means

entering into a personal relationship with our Creator and Redeemer

in the power of the Holy Spirit,

and making this relationship the basis of our whole life.”

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– Pope Benedict XVI

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“In heaven […]

our minds will find the Truth in Him

and the Beauty that we will never cease to contemplate;

and our hearts will find the Good

that we will never tire to enjoy.”

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– Fr Raniero Cantalamessa

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, grant me the Spiritof wisdom and revelation,

that I may enjoy and love You more.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Blessed is anyone who endures temptation.

Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life

that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

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– James 1:12 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Christians should not be depressed or cowed

by the difficulties which God permits them to experience;

on the contrary, they should see them as a series of tests which with God’s help they should surmount

in order to receive the reward of Heaven.

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QUOTE…

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"The Lord does not allow His followers to experience these trials and temptations

unless it be for their greater good. […]

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He disposed things in this way:

endurance in adversity and struggle against temptation

prove who His friends are.

For the mark of a true friend

is not that he keeps you company when times are good,

but that he stands by you in times of trial […].

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Companions in adversity and later in the Kingdom,

you should strive to fight manfully

when you meet opposition that would separate you from God,

for He is your help here on earth

and your reward in Heaven"

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– St. John of Avila

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord God, let my love for You be always steadfast.

Help me in my struggle against selfishness, temptation and pride.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine,

or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

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No, in all these things we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us.

– Romans 8:35,37 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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This is the attitude which enables us

to live as children of God, who fear neither life nor death.

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QUOTE…

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"Our Lord wants us to be in the world

and to love the world

but without being worldly.

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Our Lord wants us to remain in this world

(which is now so mixed up

and where the clamour of lust and disobedience

and purposeless rebellion can be heard)

to teach people to live with joy […].

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Don’t be afraid of the paganized world:

our Lord has in fact chosen us to be leaven, salt and light in this world.

Don’t be worried.

The world won’t harm you unless you want it to.

No enemy of our soul can do anything if we don’t consent.

And we won’t consent,

with the grace of God and the protection of our Mother in heaven."

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– S. Bernal, "Monsignor Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer"

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, make me more than a conqueror

– don’t let anything separate me from You!

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Light for my path.Psalm 119:105

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TODAY’S WORD…

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He has placed fire and water before you;

reach out and take whichever you want.

You have a choice between life and death;

you will get whichever you choose.

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The Lord’s wisdom and power are great

and He sees everything.

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– Sirach 15:16-18 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The choice is mine.

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How do I know I’m making the right choice?

Fundamental choices have remained the same over time,

and so has the question:

do we seek God or do we give into the allures of the world?

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At times, the choice can be clear-cut;

at times, the choice can be murky.

If we seek God’s will,

the advice of the wise

and the peace of conscience

over the passions of desire,

we can be assured that we made the best choice we possibly could.

And, in most cases, we will have made the right choice.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me do Your will

and say a determined “no” to my passionate desires.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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This is love:

not that we loved God,

but that He loved us

and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

– 1 John 4:10 (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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"He could have saved us without suffering or dying

and yet He chose a life of toil and humiliation,

and a bitter and ignominious death, even death on a cross,

something reserved for the very worst offenders.

And why was it that,

when He could have redeemed us without suffering, He chose to embrace death on the Cross?

To show us how much He loved us"”

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– St Alphonsus

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, how great Your love is for me!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“A new command I give you: love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

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– John 13:34-35 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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True love is not what the world is trying to reduce it to

– that self-satisfying desire

for physical passionate possession.

Sex can be a wonderful expression of love between husband and wife,

but sex is not love.

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Nor is charity (or philanthropy) love,

when the motivation is purely humanitarian

and done to placate a nagging conscience.

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The prime example of true love is God’s love for mankind,

a love so intense that He sacrificed His only-begotten Son.

Jesus, in becoming one like us,

gave us the perfect, living example of how to love.

This is why He tells us,

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

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PRAYER…

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Take my life and make it Yours, Lord,
fill me with Your love.
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I surrender all of me, Lord,
– take my life and make it Yours,
and fill me with Your love,
and show me how to truly love

like You have truly loved me.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, fill me with Your love…and show me how to love.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“For God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son,

so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish

but may have eternal life.”

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– John 3:16 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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“For God so loved the world…”

What Grace!

What Great Love!

What a Great God!

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“that He gave His only Son…”

What Great Kindness!

What a Great Sacrifice!

What a Great Son!

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“so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish…”

What a Great Revelation!

What Great Mercy!

What a Great Opportunity!

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“but may have eternal life.”

What Glory!

What Great Benevolence!

What a Great Future!

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God created us,

He redeemed us,

He loves us with an amazing love!

He waits for us – every day –

as eagerly as the father of the prodigal son did.

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He wants us with Him.

He wants us to respond to Him with all our love.

How precious we must be to Him!

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But He made us free

…and the choice is ours alone.

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QUOTE…

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“‘God is love’,

that is, love poured forth unsparingly.

All is summed up in this supreme truth,

which explains and illuminates everything.

The story of Jesus must be seen in this light.

`(He) loved me, St. Paul writes.

Each of us can and must repeat it for himself

– ‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me’"

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– Pope Paul VI.

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PRAYER…

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Father God,

I believe.

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I believe in You, O Father Almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth

and in Jesus Christ

Your Son, our Lord.

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Father, I thank You

for Your great love for me

and for Your great sacrifice.

I thank You for Your mercy and kindness.

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Father, I want to love You in return,

I want to do Your will,

I want to obey Your Commandments

so that, with the help of Your grace,

I may earn eternal life with You.

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I love You Lord.

Forgive me Lord.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Thank You, Father God. Forgive me, Father God.

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